Archive for March, 2010

DeedStreet RE NewsRoll 3/31/10

Posted on March 31st, 2010 in Deedstreet News | No Comments »

PHOENIX, AZ
Foreclosure sales continue to dominate Valley market
Foreclosures continue to drive indicators and much of the news about the Phoenix housing market • Homebuilding and new-home sales remain near historic lows due to the many foreclosure homes being resold. In February, there were 532 new houses sold in the Valley, according to the “Phoenix Housing Market Letter.” That compares with 713 sales a year earlier…Rest of Story…

SAN ANTONIO, TX
McMillin Homes’ Presidio – San Antonio 78257
Presidio by McMillin Homes has one of the best entrances to a subdivision I’ve seen in a long time. A grand, gated entrance with large palm trees and two monolithic community monuments, Presidio definitely evokes luxury as you enter the neighborhood. Located off of NW Military, just outside Loop 1604 (map), is a premier community in the Northside Independent School…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
Seattle Real Estate: Are Home Prices Getting Close to “Pre Bubble” Values?
Reports are coming out, including the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices that indicates Seattle Real Estate Home Values are averaging around what they were in the autumn of 2003. I have been saying since this whole correction started that the Seattle Area Real Estate and Housing Market will likely see bottom when we get to where it all began…2003 prices! It’s also worth noting…Rest of Story…

US
Top 4 Questions Home Buyers Have About the Tax Credit
As the April 15 deadline to file 2009 federal tax returns approaches, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is providing answers to some of the questions home buyers are most frequently asking about the home buyer tax credit. “NAHB’s website that provides information about the home buyer tax credit, www.FederalHousingTaxCredit.com, has received more than 8…Rest of Story…

WORTHINGTON, OH
Olentangy Highbluffs
Olentangy Highbluffs is really Olentangy Highbluffs Village according to the sign out on N. High St… er …Route 23 or I mean Columbus Sandusky Pike… I guess the present Google map says Columbus – Sandusky Road. Olentangy Highbluffs Village – Map. Whatever that big ole road out front of the neighborhoods is called, the full name of the subdivision is Olentangy …Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is attempting to bring the best real estate stories/blogs of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/nerighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

DeedStreet RE NewsRoll 3/30/10

Posted on March 30th, 2010 in Deedstreet News | No Comments »

BATTER PARK, MANHATTAN
Battery Park City facing possible mortgage crisis
These are some tough times for people living in Battery Park City. They say Fannie Mae has stopped backing loans for the area, making it even harder for people to buy or sell apartments there. Condo and co-op sales have plummeted recently. The dreary skies over Battery Park City Monday apparently weren’t the only clouds hovering over the lower Manhattan neighborhood…Rest of Story...

FIRE ISLAND, NY
How will sale affect Fire Island Pines real estate?
The Fire Island Pines residential market has responded so far with an unfazed yawn to the $17-million sale of the commercial properties overlooking the harbor and ferry dock, including a hotel, grocery store, gym, two restaurants and a nightclub, says C.J. Mingolelli of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Cherry Grove and Manhattan, who has listings in the Pines…Rest of Story…

LAKE GENEVA, WI
WHAT’S AHEAD FOR LAKE GENEVA REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE RATES THIS WEEK : MARCH 29, 2010
Mortgage markets tanked last week, raising rates for Lake Geneva real estate to their highest levels in a month. Most of the losses occurred Wednesday in what was the worst 1-day mortgage market performance in more than 6 months. Even Friday’s rally could barely dent the losses. Most of the movement was tied to geopolitical concerns and worries of a ballooning…Rest of Story…

LOS ANGELES, CA
Los Angeles Times Unloads Foreclosure Web Site
The Los Angeles Times is getting out of the foreclosed-homes auction business, saying it needs to focus its attention and money on its other ailing operations. The newspaper, which is owned by Tribune Co., obtained bankruptcy court permission last week to sell its 66.67% interest in foreclosure auction Web site Zetabid.com to joint-venture partner Catalist Homes for $200,010…Rest of Story…

MAGGIE VALLEY, NC & WAYNESVILLE, NC
Year-to-Date 5-Year Comparison of Land Sales in Maggie Valley, Waynesville and Haywood County, NC.
Land sales in Maggie Valley, Waynesville and all of Haywood County NC are not unlike home sales … slow, down from the same period last year, and lower than in the previous 5 years. The selling $ volume, obviously, is down drastically. It has been suggested that a significant increase in land sales will reflect that the market has ‘turned,’ and while that could be true, we have…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
Seattle Real Estate: Your Weekly Mortgage Market Update
THEY SAY THAT MARCH COMES IN LIKE A LION AND GOES OUT LIKE A LAMB… But this year, the exact reverse is true when it comes to home loan rates – for quite a few reasons, including the end of the Federal Reserve acting as a large buyer of Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS). The “demand” created by their fifteen-month program has helped Bond prices stay high and home loan rates stay…Rest of Story…

TEMPE, AZ
Tempe and Phoenix condo market slower to recover
Video 104: I have been asked recently by a few clients if now was a good time to invest in Phoenix and Tempe condos. Honestly, I am not sure it is if you are wanting to wait until the bottom of the market. Yes prices are low and if you are looking for a primary residence now may not be a bad time. But if you are looking to fix and flip the Tempe and Phoenix housing markets…Rest of Story…

US
It’s a buyer’s market for million-plus homes
Talk about the two extremes of the current real-estate market. Not only has the recession helped create a renter’s market, but it’s also a good time to buy homes that cost more than $1 million. Of course, there are stark differences between what these renters and buyers need to bring to the table to get a good deal. For buyers of high-end homes, it’s all about the cold, hard cash…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is attempting to bring the best real estate stories/blogs of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/nerighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better

DeedStreet RE NewsRoll 3/29/10

Posted on March 29th, 2010 in Deedstreet News | No Comments »

COLUMBUS, OH (& BOSTON, MA)
10 Questions a Buyer Must Ask Before Purchasing A Condominium Unit
Richard Vetstein who wrote this is an attorney in Massachusetts. While he gives examples in the Boston area these questions are applicable and often hard to get answered in our market. I will try to write about our Central Ohio Condomnium questionaire soon. Richard is talking to agents and buyers. His suggestion to real estate agents at the end is interesting and might speed up the answers being provided to condo buyers: “Do not have your buyer put earnest money down until…Rest of Story…

MAGGIE VALLEY & WAYNESVILLE, NC
Year-To-Date 5-Year Comparison of 2010 Home Sales in Maggie Valley, Waynesville (Haywood County), NC.
The chart below provides a 5-year comparison to the 2010 Home Sales in Maggie Valley and Waynesville (and all of Haywood County) as of 03/29/2010. There are 1,133 active listings 03/29 in Haywood County, NC, on the market an average of 261 days. Average Listing $ for the active listings is $327,722. (Too many overpriced listings.) Average Selling $ Year-to-Date is $202,328. There are 46 In Foreclosure, Short Sale and REO listings in the WNCRMLS as of 03/29…Rest of Story…

MCLEAN, VA
McLean, VA Real Estate Market Update – February 2010
McLean appears to have slowed a tad in the month of February. Both in 22101 and 22102, average sale prices are down about 20%, days on the market are down (19% in 22101 and a drastic 81% in 22102), and both had more units trade hands in 2010 than 2009. Of the 30 properties that sold: 1 was a short sale and 2 were bank-owned…Rest of Story…

PHOENIX, AZ
Weekly Real Estate News, March 27, 2010
Pulte Homes’ Lending is Under Scrutiny – A legal battle is under way between the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and one of the state’s biggest homebuilders, Pulte Homes. ASU Report: Valley Home Resale Prices on Verge of Stabilizing – Phoenix-area home resale prices are on the verge of stabilizing despite the thousands of homeowners who continue to lose the battle against…Rest of Story…

ASU report: Valley home resale prices on verge of stabilizing
Phoenix-area home resale prices are on the verge of stabilizing despite the thousands of homeowners who continue to lose the battle against foreclosure each month, according to an Arizona State University report. The most recent ASU Repeat Sales Index, covering same-home resales through February, shows the price drops are slowing and likely to come to an end after…Rest of Story…

SAN ANTONIO,
Twitter vs. Google
I had a computer-geek question the other day and my solution to the problem made me realize just how much the world of internet has changed. I’m a Google lover through and through. I use many of their services, from Google Voice to Google Maps to Google Analytics. I even like to check out what’s happening in Google Labs so I can see what the company might bring to us…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
Seattle Real Estate: The Feds Purchase of Mortgage Backed Securities ends this Week…What do you Think Will Happen?
The Federal Reserve’s $1.25 trillion program to buy mortgage-backed securities formally ends on Wednesday and so begins the fears and anxiety of interest rates rising! But before we all start running for the hills, let’s remember the Federal Reserve has been slowly pinching the tap for some time and the difference between mortgage rates and Treasury yields remains near record…Rest of Story…

US
8 Tips to Take Advantage of the Home Buyer Tax Credit before Time Runs Out
RE/MAX agents report that the home buyer tax credit currently can deliver meaningful savings, but only for those who, at a minimum, have a binding contract to purchase a home in place on April 30, 2010. With that deadline bearing down, potential buyers who want to capture the tax credit had better get serious about home shopping. “It is certainly possible to find a great home…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is attempting to bring the best real estate stories/blogs of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/nerighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better

DeedStreet RE NewsRoll 3/26/10

Posted on March 26th, 2010 in Deedstreet News | No Comments »

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
What are listing agents’ responsibilities with regards to determining/disclosing a short sale?
A question for Jim Duncan…regarding the possibility of a short sale, does the listing agent have any responsibility in determining if a listing could be REASONABLY be a short sale? Like asking the sellers about how much is owed on current liens, etc? If so, and it is determined that this may become a short sale, it should be noted in an MLS listing. If I were a buyer…Rest of Story…

COLUMBUS, OH
Hey Columbus Googlumbus?
Columbus Nominate Columbus for the new networking infrastructure that “would deliver Internet service at one gigabit per second, approximately 100 times the current fastest rate in Columbus” according to TechColumbus. Google is looking for communities that want “Google Fiber.” I wondered why Columbus was not clammoring for it. Googlumbus.com, the Tech Columbus…Rest of Story…

LAKE GENEVA, WI
THE HOME PRICE INDEX SHOWS HOME VALUES LOWER BROADLY, BUT NOT SPECIFICALLY
Home values fell again in January, according to the Federal Home Finance Agency’s Home Price Index. Values were reported down 0.6 percent, on average. We say “on average” because the Home Price Index is a national report. It doesn’t capture the essence of a local market like the Lake Geneva real estate market. The most granular that the monthly Home Price Index gets…Rest of Story…

PHOENIX, AZ
REBarCamp Phoenix: What is a REBarCamp?
REBarCamp? What is that? If you are wondering what REBarCamp is, here is a short video to try and explain it with me and Kristin LaVanway. If you want to sign up for the Phoenix REBarCamp on April 9th, sign up today….Rest of Story…

Annual Appreciation Now Into Strongly Positive Territory
Sales pricing can be measured in several ways: Average Sales Price, Median Sales Price, Average Sales Price per Sq. Ft., to name but a few. But however we measure it, we can now make an unequivocal statement: Average sales pricing in Greater Phoenix is HIGHER NOW THAN IT WAS AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR. In other words, we are now seeing POSITIVE ANNUAL APPRECIATION RATES…Rest of Story…

Phoenix Real Estate Inventory Update March 25, 2010
Overall, there are 29,144 single family detached homes for sale in the Phoenix real estate market and 5,709 homes sold in the last 30 days for an absorption rate of 5.1, a small improvement over last weeks 5.2. This makes 9 consecutive weeks the absorption rate has declined. Absorption rates decreased by double digit percentage in four cities this week; Fountain Hills…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
Seattle Real Estate: Try this Affordable E-mail Campaign for your Small Business
Looking for a stylish, easy and affordable way to send your customers all your updates and recent information? Well, I have found this great site, MadMimi.com that does all that and more! Depending on the number of recipients, you can built and send this incredibly customizable e-mail right to their inbox for as little as $8.00 a month. In fact, there is also a FREE service…Rest of Story…

SUBURBS, US
The Hidden Cost of Living in the Suburbs: Transportation
Some of the cost benefits of living in a city are obvious–walkability, easy access to public transportation–but the high price of housing and other amenities often overshadow any benefits. But GOOD points us to a tool from creative think tank CNT showing that it’s actually more expensive to live in many suburbs and exurbs once transportation costs are taken into account…Rest of Story…

TEMPE, AZ
Tempe Festival of the Arts is Back!
The Tempe Festival of the arts is back for it’s annual spring Festival on Mill Avenue this weekend, March 26-28, 2010. The 33rd annual arts festival features a LOT of fun for all. Join hundreds of thousands of your closest friends in checking out the FREE event at Tempe’s Mill Avenue District while the weather is still perfect for outdoor activities…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is attempting to bring the best real estate stories/blogs of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/nerighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

DeedStreet RE NewsRoll 3/25/10

Posted on March 25th, 2010 in Deedstreet News | No Comments »

FALLS CHURCH, VA
Falls Church, VA Real Estate Market Update – February 2010
Just like Arlington and D.C., Falls Church is on another run with prices up again in February. The market is still about 35% distressed (of 79, 10 were bank-owned and 18 were short sales), but prices are rebounding over those in 2009. See for yourself: Detached, Single Family Homes – Average Net Sale Price: $494,514 after 83 days – Range: $220,000 – $1,130,000…Rest of Story…

MANHATTAN, NY
$20M UWS home is a real ‘cash’ pad
Billionaire Henry Silverman and his “Cinderella” are moving into a new castle — a Manhattan townhouse he bought for nearly $20 million, setting a real-estate record for the Upper West Side.
The married former owner of businesses including Days Inns and Avis Rent-a-Car will live in the home — just steps from Central Park on 76th Street and featuring six bedrooms…Rest of Story…

NEW MEXICO
New Mexico real estate exec accused of $80M scheme
A prominent Albuquerque real estate executive used his reputation to defraud about 600 investors in New Mexico and elsewhere out of an estimated $80 million in a Ponzi scheme, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged in a federal lawsuit. In the complaint, filed Tuesday, the SEC accused Douglas F. Vaughan of fraud and selling unregistered securities. The SEC…Rest of Story…

PHOENIX, AZ
Historic O’Connor house rebuilt in Papago Park
efore walking up the hill to her relocated 1958 adobe home, Sandra Day O’Connor recalled how she first thought its move to Papago Park would be impossible. But as the project came together over the years, the retired Supreme Court justice decided the time and money spent moving it brick-by-brick deserved a grander purpose. “It should be more than just a place to visit…Rest of Story…

SAN ANTONIO, TX
Spruce Up Your Home Sale With Spring Cleaning Tips
In San Antonio the for sale signs are going up all around us. The number of homes for sale begins to rise as the weather turns warm and the days grow long. It’s time for Spring. Better yet, if you’re going to put your home up for sale, it’s time for spring cleaning. You’ve already vacuumed and dusted; you’ve even decluttered and decorated. Your home looks like it’s ready to sell…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
Seattle Real Estate: Credit Scores Can Drop after Getting Loan Help!
Some homeowners who sign up for the government’s mortgage assistance program are getting a nasty surprise: Lower credit scores. For borrowers who are making their payments on time but are on the verge of default, the Obama administration’s loan modification program can reduce their credit score as much as 100 points. That makes it harder to get a loan and can…Rest of Story…

TEMPE, AZ
Top 10 real estate posts of the day for 3/25/2010
Here is today’s list of top real estate posts of the day. 1) Trials and Tribulations With Appraisals – I like it, a listing agent fighting back against a perceived bad appraisal. 2) Housing Market Set For Double Dip? – Double dip? Is that like a Dairy Queen ice cream cone? This is going to be an interesting year. 3) Ignoring The Shadow Inventory Will Not Make It Go Away – Shadow inventory is no doubt out there, but it has been for a year…Rest of Story…

US
Upcoming Webcast: The Spring 2010 US Housing Market
WHEN: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 4:15 PM – 4:50 PM EDT HOW: Webinar (https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/958897035) WHAT: The 2010 US Housing Market is in full swing. Take 35 minutes after market close to investigate real-time housing market data – a look housing market analytics available through March 2010 from Altos Research…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is attempting to bring the best real estate stories/blogs of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/nerighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

DeedStreet RE NewsRoll 3/24/10

Posted on March 24th, 2010 in Deedstreet News | No Comments »

ARLINGTON, VA
Arlington, VA Real Estate Market Update – February 2010
February was a another strong month for the real estate market in Arlington. Average sales price is up about 3.5%, units sold is up almost 50%, and days on the market is down about 33%. The other number that’s down? Inventory. We’re at about 87% of the inventory in 2009, and 85% of 2008. Of the 135 sales (excluding the Retirement communities), 7 were short sales, and…Rest of Story...

SEATTLE, AZ
Seattle Real Estate: Dlvr.it…A Great New Service to AutoFeed your Blog!
A new service for us Seattle Real Estate professionals called Dlvr.it is launching in open beta today to help publishers deliver their feeds anywhere they want. Dlvr.it is a new product from in-stream advertising startup Pheedo. Once you sign up, you select a feed as an input, and then you select where you want to deliver that feed as an output. Depending on the destination…Rest of Story…

TEMPE, AZ
Top 10 real estate posts of the day for 3/23/2010
Here is today’s list of top real estate posts of the day. 1) How Loan-Level Pricing Adjustments Keep You From Getting The Lowest Advertised Mortgage Rates – Why am I not getting that rate I saw quoted? Here is why, same reason you may not get the quote for car insurance you saw on TV. 2) FHA 90 Day Flip Rule: Flip Flop – Just because the FHA waived their 90-day flip rule for a year…Rest of Story…

US
The Shadow Inventory Debate
I’ve been tracking what people are saying about the shadow real estate inventory that many economists, real estate professionals, and bankers are frightened of. Seems there’s some debate if the shadow inventory, will stymie the housing recovery. First the definition of shadow inventory is up for debate. Depending on who you’re listening to it can mean many…Rest of Story…

UTAH
Provo-Orem, Logan among national leaders in population growth
Provo-Orem and Logan were two of the nation’s fastest-growing metro areas last year, according to Census Bureau estimates released Tuesday. Provo-Orem ranked No. 6 and Logan was No. 7 among the nation’s 366 metro areas in percentage change of growth between 2008 and 2009, the bureau said. Meanwhile, Ogden-Clearfield was No. 32, the Salt Lake metro area was…Rest of Story…

VANCOUVER, CA
Real estate markets to stay hot through spring, before settling down into ‘more subdued’ conditions
Canada’s real estate markets should remain heated through the spring, fuelled by generationally low mortgage rates, before settling into “more subdued” conditions as those rates rise, according to the latest forecast from Scotia Economics. Scotia Economics senior economist Adrienne Warren said the “aughts” saw “the strongest decade of real price appreciation in at least 50 years,” which will require an extended period for the economy…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is attempting to bring the best real estate stories/blogs of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/nerighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

DeedStreet RE NewsRoll 3/23/10

Posted on March 23rd, 2010 in Deedstreet News | No Comments »

AHWATUKEE, AZ
Mad Chef Gastropub opens in Ahwatukee
Pity the poutine. If you’re not from Quebec, you likely haven’t heard of it. And if you didn’t grow up on it, you may not appreciate the way it sounds. Typically, it’s a dish made of french fries smothered in cheese curds (crispy nuggets of gooey cheese), drenched in brown gravy and sometimes meats like bacon or sausage. It looks deadly, tastes delicious, and you can find it at the new Mad…Rest of Story…

CANADA
Real estate professionals approve MLS changes
Members of the Canadian Real Estate Association agreed Monday to loosen rules governing the board’s Multiple Listing Service in a move that could usher in new-found power and savings for prospective homebuyers and sellers involved in real estate transactions. “CREA is pleased that the amendments have passed,” CREA president Georges Pahud said in a statement Monday…Rest of Story…

GILBERT, AZ
Gilbert’s Prop 406 – it’s getting a little testy
What is Prop 406? The Gilbert Town Council is placing a resolution in front of the voters in a special election to be held on May 18, 2010. Here is a PDF of the entire resolution. To summarize, Proposition 406 is: A resolution of the common council of the town of Gilbert, Arizona, to submit to the qualified electors of the question of whether to adopt an ordinance increasing…Rest of Story…

NEW ZEALAND
Inaugural real estate authority ruling slams death-knocking agent
The Real Estate Agents Authority has released details of its first misconduct decision, but it doesn’t issue any punishment to the agent in question.Misconduct in the inaugural decision relates to an agent doing what is sometimes referred to as death knocking, in contacting the widow of a recently deceased man offering to help sell the family home. Real estate agent Tip…Rest of Story…

PHOENIX, AZ
Phoenix Real Estate FAQs for 3/19/2010
In this episode of Phoenix Real Estate FAQ’s Kristin LaVanway and Dean Ouellette answer the questions. What did you learn from your most recent real estate transaction? What do you do when nature calls when showing houses? Will the Phoenix housing market rebound before the world ends in 2012? Why do I need to get prequalifed for a loan…Rest of Story…

SAN ANTONIO, TX
ZEROING IN ON THE PERFECT HOME
Most of you reading this blog who are actively thinking of buying a home, will probably search online through hundreds of homes before ever contacting an agent. The internet has completely revised the way we search for homes – even I went online before contacting an agent when I moved to San Antonio. Scrolling through the listings helps create a sense of excitement…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
Home of the Week-Madison Valley Top Floor Condo… Mortgage Videos A guide to Homeownership
Seattle Real Estate: Your Weekly Mortgage Market Update…Yep, it’s about the Health Care Bill!

With the great debate and concern raging over what kind of action will happen on Healthcare reform certainly on everyone’s mind this week, many of us in Seattle want to know what does the Health Care Bill mean for the Seattle Real Estate markets and home loan rates? Traders have been watching the debate closely, and it’s possible that passage of the Healthcare Bill could have…Rest of Story…

TEMPE, AZ
Google Fiber – Tempe Shoots For The Stars
Google Fiber coming to Tempe? Yeah, it could happen! When I first heard about this, I immediately thought it would be COOL. Thankfully, so did many of the leaders of our city. The application is in and we are ready to rock! According to a Google Fiber web site, they plan to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in trial locations across the country that will deliver Internet…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is attempting to bring the best real estate stories/blogs of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/nerighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

DeedStreet RE NewsRoll 3/22/10

Posted on March 22nd, 2010 in Deedstreet News | No Comments »

BUCKEYE, AZ
BofA Breaks Into Another House but Finds No Parrot
Can this be a coincidence, or is something seriously wrong with Bank of America Corp.’s procedures for dealing with other people’s real estate? Last week we told you about Angela Iannelli and her parrot, Luke. The bank erroneously concluded that Ms. Iannelli, a mortgage-loan customer, had vacated her house. So the bank sent contractors to her house to “secure” it…Rest of Story…

GILBERT, AZ
5 Places in 5 Weeks – Gilbert: Gilbert Civic Center
DeedStreet chats with The Phoenix Real Estate Guy (Jay Thompson) in GIlbert, AZ. This video is the final part in a five part series named “5 Places in 5 Weeks,” where we visit five different places within Gilbert in 5 weeks. The goal of this series to to show everyone why a town is so awesome from the perspective of a local Real Estate agent. In this case, the town is Gilbert and…Rest of Story…

LAKE GENEVA, WI
WHAT’S AHEAD FOR LAKE GENEVA REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE RATES THIS WEEK: MARCH 22, 2010
Mortgage markets closed unchanged last week, but that’s not to say mortgage rates were calm. Monday through Wednesday, rates improved steadily before a swift, late-week sell-off unwound the gains. Lake Geneva real estate mortgage rates have been very low for a very long time — against the expectations of most market experts. The speed of the Thursday-Friday…Rest of Story…

MEMPHIS, TN
Real estate summit will discuss home market
The Realtors’ commercial real estate summits have been so successful, they will now hold a residential version for the first time. “We think it’s a good service to our members and the community to see what’s going on in the real estate world,” Glenn Moore, president of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors, said Friday. The Residential Economic Forecast and Planning…Rest of Story…

PHOENIX, AZ
First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit – April 30th deadline quickly approaching!
The deadline of April 30, 2010 for the Homebuyer Tax Credit is fast approaching! All qualifying purchases must be under contract by April 30, 2010 and the buyer has until June 30, 2010, to settle on the purchase. Buying a home simply to get the tax credit probably isn’t a wise move. But if you’re in the market for a new home wouldn’t it make sense to take advantage of it and…Rest of Story…

Phoenix homes now undervalued by 22%
A frequent leader of late on the negative side of housing stats, Phoenix avoided the top spot among offenders on IHS Global Insight’s analysis of overvalued housing markets during the real estate bubble. And as of year-end, home prices here were undervalued by more than 22 percent, according to the data released Friday. “The metro areas of California and Florida…Rest of Story…

Images of Phoenix
Travelling around Phoenix earlier this month I came across some interesting sights. Here are a few images that I thought were worth documenting: Along Scottsdale Road, I came across this motel which I thought noteworthy for its decorative concrete blocks. It’s a very simple detail…but most effective. I’m wondering whether it might work here…it might look terrific with some snow…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
Seattle Real Estate: Health Care Reform and Real Estate…Is there a Correlation?
Watching the Health Care Reform Bill pass yesterday got me thinking about my Real Estate career and those of my fellow professional Seattle real estate practitioners. How is this going to affect us in the Self employed-Independent Contractor world? Like many, I’m trying to wrap my head around all this; reading and digesting as much as I can only to find the deeper I go, the more…Rest of Story…

SILICON VALLEY, CA
In Hindsight: In Silicon Valley, real estate ’stability’ and a hot IPO
In Silicon Valley, many of us are obsessed with the health of the real estate market — especially those of us whose homes are “underwater,” meaning we owe more on our mortgages than our properties are worth. Fortunately, after a wave of foreclosures, the worst of the housing pain may be easing. “We’ve reached a point where we’re fairly stable,” Sean O’Toole, president of…Rest of Story…

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Will Octomom and her 14 kids end up homeless?
Even though the government’s Housing Affordable Modification Program was able to slow some foreclosures from hitting the market in the past year, it likely comes as no surprise that The Wall Street Journal reports they’re back on the rise. And probably of even less surprise is that a “celebrity” such as Octomom Nadya Suleman could be joining the ranks of the millions…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is attempting to bring the best real estate stories/blogs of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/nerighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

5 Places in 5 Weeks – Gilbert: Gilbert Civic Center

Posted on March 21st, 2010 in Deedstreet News | No Comments »

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DeedStreet chats with The Phoenix Real Estate Guy (Jay Thompson) in GIlbert, AZ. This video is the final part in a five part series named “5 Places in 5 Weeks,” where we visit five different places within Gilbert in 5 weeks. The goal of this series to to show everyone why a town is so awesome from the perspective of a local Real Estate agent. In this case, the town is Gilbert and the agent is Jay. We tried to pick places that are unique, cool or just popular with the locals. Last week we were at San Tan Village. The weeks before that, we were at Bergies Coffee House and Cosmo Dog Park. And we started at Liberty Market. This week we went to Gilbert Civic Center. Hopefully you enjoyed the series

DeedStreet RE NewsRoll 3/19/10

Posted on March 19th, 2010 in Deedstreet News | No Comments »

COLUMBUS, OH
Foreclosure Frustation – Information Please…
“I have resorted to looking up property owners” Barefoot said on Trulia Voices. Barefoot a Home Buyer’s question could just as likely be asked on Zillow, ActiveRain or other online real estate sites. You as a consumer have lots of places online to get information about Foreclosures… but are they Foreclosures? Are the properties on the list for sale now or ever? Barefoot…Rest of Story…

GILBERT, AZ
Businesses looking to move to Gilbert
Nearly 90 businesses are looking to open facilities in Gilbert, representing a potential 7,524 new jobs for the town and $725 million in potential capital investment. Dan Henderson, Gilbert’s business development manager, told a group of people at a Gilbert Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday that out of about 200 companies expressing some form of interest in…Rest of Story…

JAMICA
Bad time to hike real estate fees – Realtors Association
There have been mixed reactions from the real estate industry to the announcement of a sharp increase in fees charged by the Real Estate Board. In Parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister Bruce Golding announced a more 100% hike in the registration application fees for real estate salesmen and dealers. He also revealed that new penalties have been introduced for developers…Rest of Story…

LAKE, GENEVA, WI
FOR CLUES ABOUT THE FUTURE OF LAKE GENEVA REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE RATES, WATCH FOR INFLATION
Homes are more affordable across the nation as the housing market emerges from a slow winter season with mortgage rates still near 5 percent. Soft housing and low rates are an excellent combination for Lake Geneva real estate home buyers but whereas home values rise with a gradual pace, mortgage rates change in an instant. It’s something worth watching…Rest of Story…

PHOENIX, AZ
Real estate agent pleads guilty in fraud scheme
The U.S. Attorney announced Thursday that a Phoenix real estate agent has pleaded guilty for her role in a fraud scheme. Prosecutors said 31-year-old Natasha Swallows-Feagins was approached by two co-defendants to represent three straw buyers. Straw buyers use or allow their credit to be used for the purchase of a property they never intend to use or control…Rest of Story…

Phoenix Real Estate Inventory Report March 18, 2010
Overall, there are 29,311 single family detached homes for sale in the Phoenix real estate market and 5,610 homes sold in the last 30 days for an absorption rate of 5.2, an improvement over last weeks 5.5. The absorption rate has been creeping down slowly over the last 8 weeks.
Absorption rates decreased by double digit percentage in four cities this week…Rest of Story…

SAN ANTONIO, TX
Should You Rent or Sell Your San Antonio Home?
In San Antonio’s real estate market these days, there is always the question of should you rent or should you sell your home? During the days of cheap and easy credit, many people began dabbling in rental income properties, bought a home that is now worth less than they paid for it (an underwater mortgage), or tried their hand at flipping homes. With these purchases…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
Seattle Real Estate: Seattle Based Zillow launch’s Mobile App for Android
The Seattle based real estate search engine Zillow launched its iPhone app nearly a year ago and it’s been wildly successful. Now, they’re giving Android users the same easy access to real estate info. “It’s clear that people want access to all of Zillow’s data and information like Zestimates, listing information, and prior sale price while they are out looking at homes…Rest of Story…

VIRGINIA PENINSULA
Peninsula real estate: Better than a bad February 2009
Peninsula-area home sales improved by 7 percent in February, compared to February 2009. But that’s not saying much, since the region was in the thick of a real estate downturn last year. Last month’s sales total — 259 — made it the fourth-lowest month for sales since at least 2003, according to figures from the Real Estate Information Network Inc. January and February…Rest of Story…

WORTHINGTON, OH
Worthington home sales February 2010
The graph shows single family homes in Worthington schools for the past 15 months. The light green bar is “For Sale” The green bar is “Sold.” Sales are down from this time last year, 13.8%. Inventory is down from this time last year but there is still 7 months of inventory. Wortington homes for sale a market report shows just inventory for sale in a different sort of graph…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is attempting to bring the best real estate stories/blogs of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/nerighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.